Vignette next to 'Introduction" (Vignette bei "Einleitung") (headpiece, page 3) from Über das Geistige in der Kunst (Concerning the Spiritual in Art)

Vignette next to 'Introduction" (Vignette bei "Einleitung") (headpiece, page 3) from Über das Geistige in der Kunst (Concerning the Spiritual in Art) by Vasily Kandinsky is an essential element within one of the most foundational theoretical texts of early 20th-century abstraction. Created in 1911, this piece is a woodcut, one of eleven such prints used to visually anchor the influential theoretical volume. As a headpiece positioned directly next to the book's critical "Introduction," the small image provides an immediate visual corollary to Kandinsky's revolutionary ideas regarding the separation of art from material reality.

The artist masterfully utilized the woodcut medium, known for its strong lines and stark tonal contrasts, to great effect in this period. The resulting non-representational composition demonstrates Kandinsky's decisive push toward pure abstraction. Though the work is small in scale and functions primarily as a decorative motif, its graphic vitality reflects the broader aesthetic concerns dominating the avant-garde in 1911, the year the book was published. This decisive period marks a high point in the conceptual development of European Modernism, a movement fundamentally reshaped by the principles laid out in the accompanying text.

While Kandinsky’s roots were Russian, the successful publication and dissemination of his theoretical and visual works often required collaboration within major European intellectual centers. This specific illustrated book is classified under French culture, underscoring Paris’s enduring historical role in promoting cutting-edge œuvre during the early 1900s. The powerful, elemental quality of these graphic prints ensured the widespread reproduction and understanding of Kandinsky's visual and textual manifesto. The inclusion of these images enhanced the impact of the text, and today, due to its historical importance, this work and associated prints are widely available via public domain resources. This significant example of early abstraction and illustrated book production resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.